Seattle’s Akimbo seem like they should be easy to classify, but many subtle elements of various aggressive sub-genres find their way into the band’s crushing sound and offer inviting ears a few curve-balls along the way. Guitarist Aaron Walters [one of ELEVEN axe-slingers over the band's career (!)] claims in the below interview that the explanation started out as “Black Sabbath meets Black Flag meets The Melvins”, which is pretty spot-on in representing the stony thump-grooves/rawkish punk asthetic/noiseful attributes, but I feel compelled to throw a couple more names in the hat, most notably Motorhead (so many parts are teeming with Lemmy’s uptempo forward-thrusting momentum) and local angular heart-core heros Botch [whose bassist Brian Cook went on to pummel in MS faves These Arms Are Snakes (RIP) and space-proggateers Russian Circles]. Bluesy, fuzzed-out Zeppelin-y jamouts meld with abrasive sludge to forge a style that is instantly familiar but somehow unexpectedly original in the songwriting.

These daze Akimbo has refined their sound and create a more soothing heavy-scape, as exemplified by their most recent 2008 album Jersey Shores, “a concept album inspired by a series of mysterious shark attacks which occurred on the beaches of New Jersey in 1916. This latest effort showed a substantial deviation in style from previous recordings, which can be attributed in part to Aaron Walters’ contributions as a guitarist/writer.” (Wiki) Original founding members Jon Weisnewski (bass, vocals) and Nat Damm (drums) continue to sustain a furious and punishing rhythm section while exploring new textures throughout.

Funny that they released this album the year before another Jersey Shore became such a huge worldwide phenomenon — I’m sure Akimbo has been hearing all about that for quite some time now, probably both to their amusement and chagrin.

Speaking of which, have you seen poof’d tanster tits Snooki get punched in the face from last season? Now that’s metal.

Visit Akimbo on Everyone’sSpace

Read previous Akimbo posts by Vince and moi, and Christopher Roddy’s review of Jersey Shores

Let’s all sludge past the, whatchamacallit……oh yeah, jumpppp, for more Akimbo live videos and an interview.

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First things first: screamo is literally worse than the Holocaust in my book. With a few notable exceptions, I absolutely cannot stand this shit. That said, with bands like The Devil Wears Prada and Underoath selling out huge venues, putting out platinum-selling albums, and selling truckloads of cookie-cutter merch to every angsty suburban teen within driving distance of a Hot Topic, it’s hard not to pay attention to the genre. I might not like it, but Kids These Days certainly do. My biggest question: Where the fuck did this shit come from??

As someone who saw the birth of metalcore and “true screamo”/skramz firsthand in the 90s, I am highly confused when I listen to these bands. On the one hand, they are not so different from anything that could have been on Victory or Indecision in the 90s (Earth Crisis, All Out War, Bloodlet). Obviously there are some things that have changed over time, but the fundamentals of metalcore are still there (see my post “The 5 Kinds Of Music Teens Are Into” for more details). On the other hand, the kids in Alesana, August Burns Red, and possibly even As I Lay Dying have no fucking idea who those pioneering metalcore bands are, much less that screamy vocals were born in the tiny basement shows and vegan bakesales of the 90s DIY hardcore scene.

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According to an official press release from These Arms Are Snakes’ record label Suicide Squeeze, the Seattle based four-piece post-metallers have broken up:

“It’s with a heavy heart we tell you that These Arms Are Snakes is no more. It’s been a great run and we’d like to send out a very hearty “Thank You” to everyone that we’ve worked with or anyone that we’ve toured with; anyone that lent us a floor, towed our van and/or trailer, lent a van, given us a listen, downloaded our records prior to their coming out, bought our shit, or asked us where our band name came from; everyone who cooked us food, made habanero-infused tequila, had a safety meeting with us, let Steve gyrate all over you, had to live with any of us, made us pay shitloads of money to get off your punk label, got us into LOST, found Steve drunkenly wandering the streets of Tokyo alone, played Madlibs in the van (plural nouns), lost money promoting one of our shows, took Chris to the hospital, put up with our drunken sorry asses, got into a fight with us, etc. etc.”

This band could not have been possible without all of you. We sincerely thank you.

Much love,

TAAS 2002 – 2009

Well, umm… this sucks. I’ve never been a huge fan of any one These Arms are Snakes record, but in a live setting the band absolutely smokes. Like, makes other bands look like absolute amateurs they are [were] so fucking good. These Arms Are Snakes ripping first-night performance was a highlight of my 2009 SXSW festival, and I had the privilege of seeing them again this Fall in a Bushwick loft.

The band hasn’t given any reasons for their breakup, but I suppose it’s some combination of the usual suspects… creative differences, dudes wanting to move on and do other things, dudes getting tired of the touring lifestyle, dudes wanting to settle down, dudes getting tired of smelling each others’ farts, dudes hating each other’s guts… etc. In the immediate future I suppose this means bassist Brian Cook will have more time to devote to Russian Circles who seem to be doing quite well for themselves lately (nearly packed NYC’s Bowery Ballroom last month). I’m not aware if guitarist Ryan Frederiksen is involved with other projects, but the dude can play. And as for snake-like frontman Steve Snere and uber-finesse drummer Chris Common… lord oh lord would it be an incredible waste of talent if those dudes didn’t join other bands.

So why the fuck were they called These Arms Are Snakes anyway? R.I.P.

-VN

Instru-metallers Russian Circles’ new album Geneva is out now. Even Axl, who usually doesn’t get into all of the same instrumental / trippy / wank stuff that I do, is enjoying the album and described it as “really cinematic.” If you’ve yet to experience this amazing band, be sure to listen to a few tracks on their MySpace page and catch them on their current tour with Young Widows and Coliseum.

Current These Arms Are Snakes / ex-Botch bassist Brian Cook recently became a full-time member of Russian Circles after having recorded and toured with them on their last record Station. I recently emailed Brian a batch of questions about joining the band, recording the new album, balancing the workload between all of his projects, and what the future holds for Russian Circles, to which he was more than happy to respond in detail. My questions, his answers… after the jump.

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“Russian Circles” is like an onomatopoeia of band names; I have no idea what a Russian Circle is, but I do know that if the band name is spoken — not written — it’s accurate as fuck. Listen to any Russian Circles song and tell me their music doesn’t sound just like circles that are rushing, spiraling and spinning (hint: it helps if you’re stoned). Their excellent 2008 release Station was one of my favorite instru-metal releases of that year, and judging from the new track “Malko,” their new record Geneva (October 20th, Suicide Squeeze) will bring more of the same rushing, circling goodness.

Noise/post-rock fans, take note: ex-Botch, current-These Arms Are Snakes bass player Brian Cook is now a permanent member of Russian Circles. Yeah!

Listen to “Malko,” courtesy of The Fader, below:

Russian Circles – “Malko”

Catch the band on tour with Young Widows and Red Sparowes this fall. Dates after the jump.

-VN

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The name Dave Verellen should mean something to anyone who laments the 2002 breakup of Botch, the esteemed hardcore act whose legacy has made it more popular now than when it was an active unit. As the voice of that group, Verellen deserves partial credit – and perhaps a little blame – for the glut of roaring metalcore vocalists that came in his wake. From a publicity perspective, this influence strengthens the already impressive pedigree of Narrows, his latest band featuring members of noteworthy heavy ensembles such as Unbroken and These Arms Are Snakes. As evidenced by its full-length debut New Distances, the group refuses to rest on its proverbial laurels and instead goes above and beyond its participants’ discographies, yielding something truly exceptional.

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I’m admittedly a late bloomer when it comes to getting into Deathwish Records, but after buying Blacklisted’s Heavier Than Heaven, Lonelier Than God a couple months ago I knew I’d be back for the rest of the roster, which includes Narrows. You might have caught wind of this band on the free Deathwish Records digital compilation, and if “Chambered” is any indication of what the rest of the forthcoming New Distances album will sound like then we’re in for some of the heaviest hardcore of 2009. Then again, Narrows features Dave Verellen of the one-and-only Botch, so nobody should be surprised by just how AWESOME this shit is. If, like me, you can’t wait for the May 12 release date, be sure to pick up a copy of last year’s self-titled EP.

-GS

[Gary Suarez shouted at the devil, but the devil shouted back. He also writes for Brainwashed and usually manages the consistently off-topic No Yoko No. Say, why don't you follow him on Twitter?]

A few weeks ago, the Chicago-based rising instrumental metal band Russian Circles played at New York City’s Mercury Lounge as part of a short tour to whet the appetite of the masses for the release of their new record Station, out May 6th on Suicide Squeeze Records. Russian Circles were nothing short of fantastic, their aggressive brand of stoney metal punctuated by Floydian guitar work, ethereal soundscapes and dynamic drumming. Before the show, MetalSucks had the opportunity to sit down with Russian Circles’ drummer Dave Turncrantz to ask him about the new record, working with producer Mat Bayles (Mastodon, Botch, Vendetta Red, Norma Jean) the band’s formation and musical evolution, and their plans for the future. The full chat transcript after the jump.

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In my ongoing quest to talk about bands who have thus far been given the shaft by MetalSucks, here’s the video to a track from Botch’s seminal album, We Are the Romans. Botch’s members went on to form a bunch of other good bands after they broke up in ’02, including These Arms are Snakes, which, if memory serves, is one of Kip Wingerschmidt’s very favorite groups.

In any case, like most really awesome acts that disbanded, I have a hard time believing that Botch won’t someday sully their legacy with a reunion tour. Until that day…

[kml_flashembed movie="http://youtube.com/v/OI0_jmR8HeY" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]

-AR